Background

A 40-year-old man, well known in the emergency department for seeking drugs and being disruptive and aggressive, presents with a headache and demands to be seen immediately. He smells of alcohol and when the nurse attempts to take his blood pressure he refuses and becomes verbally abusive. Upon hearing the confrontation and knowing this patient, the emergency physician enters the room to intercede.

The situation escalates with both the physician and patient shouting and shaking their fists. The patient later launches a legal action against the emergency physician, claiming verbal and physical assault.

Outcome

The investigation found no evidence of physical assault; however, the verbal exchange had been documented by nursing staff and witnessed by a third party. The patient claimed the incident caused him significant embarrassment and psychological damage.

The CMPA was unable to find support for the physician's actions: the medical experts believed the physician failed to take appropriate steps to calm the patient and defuse the situation.

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Key concepts

Good doctor-patient communication is about:

fostering understanding

recognizing barriers and finding ways to resolve them in a professional manner